Maryland's New 3 Percent Tax Will Chill the State's Emerging Tech Sector
The Chamber of Commerce has called the tax a “disastrous” policy that threatens the state’s economy and its future as a tech hub.
Technology
Senate Votes 99–1 To Remove AI Moratorium from 'Big, Beautiful Bill'
Now nearly 100 state AI laws will remain in force—and nearly 1,000 more are already waiting in the wings.
The Coming Techlash Could Kill AI Innovation Before It Helps Anyone
Power-hungry data centers, disappearing jobs, and billions of dollars in subsidies are fueling resentment. If developers and policymakers don’t change course, Americans may reject AI before it ever delivers on its most significant promises.
Heavy-Handed Legislation Targets AI-Generated Replicas of Voices and Images
The NO FAKES Act imposes censorship, threatens anonymity, and regulates innovation.
Don't Blame 23andMe for the Federal Government's Lack of Clear Data Privacy Rules
A lawsuit against the genomics company "imposes top-down restrictions" rather than "establishing clear rules" or "letting companies equip individuals with better tools to manage their privacy," says one expert.
Tariffs on Chinese Goods Drop to 55%, but That's Cold Comfort for Consumers
Triple-digit bilateral tariffs have been brought down to double digits. Negotiations on semiconductors and rare earth elements will continue.
FTC Pivots From Competition to Children
The result is the same: attacks on tech companies and attempts to violate Americans' rights.
This AI Company Wants Washington To Keep Its Competitors Off the Market
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is petitioning the government to throw roadblocks in his rivals' way.
A Teen Killed Himself After Talking to a Chatbot. His Mom's Lawsuit Could Cripple the AI Industry.
A federal court in Florida will consider whether chatbot output is First Amendment-protected speech.
The Gattaca Future Is Here
Plus: Trump's travel ban, NYC mayor candidate cites bad stats on child hunger, and more...
Mountainhead Is a Shallow Satire of Tech Billionaires
A zippy script can't make up for a lack of insight.
Helen Lewis: The Dark Side of Genius
In The Genius Myth, the journalist delivers a sharp, funny takedown of our obsession with "brilliant" men, showing that behind every so-called genius is a crowd and a big PR machine.
Elizabeth Warren and Jim Banks Attack Nvidia for Expanding Its Chinese Facility
Complying with export regulations should build trust between Nvidia and Congress, not erode it.
Artificial Intelligence Is Making Everything Weird
Plus: A listener asks if the "big beautiful bill" will decrease the deficit.
How Palantir Is Expanding the Surveillance State
If you think the government will only use these tools to track illegal immigrants, think again.
Photo: Dire Wolf De-extinction
A biotech company used DNA from thousands of years ago to clone three wolf pups that resemble the extinct dire wolf.
A Judge Blocked Apple From Collecting These Commissions
"It's hard to see how completely ripping [the system] apart will be helpful to consumers," warns one economist.
Antitrust Remedies Against Google Would Punish Consumers, Not Protect Them
Forcing the sale of Chrome or banning default agreements wouldn’t foster competition—it would hobble innovation, hurt smaller players, and leave users with worse products.
Texas Could Blow Its Shot at Leading the AI Revolution
A bad bill inspired by European tech panic threatened to drive out Tesla, Meta, and Nvidia. Lawmakers in the House improved it—but now the bill is stalled in the Senate.
The U.S. Needs More Nuclear Power To Fuel the AI Boom
Texas, Virginia, and Pennsylvania are turning to nuclear power to meet data centers' energy demands.
The App Store Freedom Act Compromises User Privacy To Punish Big Tech
The bill "raises the risk of malware," warns one tech expert.
Ross Douthat: Why Digital Life Threatens Freedom and Family
The New York Times columnist warns that digital life may be eroding the cultural foundations needed to sustain meaning, family, and community.
Fewer Than 3 Friends
Plus: Growth forecasts slashed, Pravda time, fentanyl seizures, and more...
The TAKE IT DOWN Act's Good Intentions Don't Make Up for Its Bad Policy
Congress just approved a new online censorship scheme under the auspices of thwarting revenge porn and AI-generated "nonconsensual intimate visual depictions."
AI Bots in California Steal Over $10 Million in Federal Financial Aid
A scam that uses AI to “enroll” in community colleges to pocket student aid has skyrocketed in the Golden State and across the nation.
Trump Is Repeating Biden's AI Mistakes
Export controls on advanced chips and AI models hold back innovation and hurt American businesses.
European Commission Fines Apple and Meta $800 Million
The penalty amounts to a "multibillion-dollar tariff," a Meta spokesperson says.
Researchers Accidentally Discovered an Ancient Megacity in a Mexican Jungle
Lidar technology is revealing that the Mayan civilization was more complex and interconnected than previously thought.
Virtual Fencing Can Help Buffalo Roam and Antelope Play
Hundreds of thousands of miles of fences ensnare and sometimes kill wild animals. GPS technology offers an alternative.
The DOJ Is Doing Its Best To Make Google Unprofitable
Google has lost its second major antitrust case against the Department of Justice, threatening the tech giant's free-to-consumer business model.
Fewer People Support Censoring False Information Online
Support for suppressing "violent content" has also dropped.
The Intelligence Community's AI Revolution
The feds are rapidly deploying artificial intelligence across spy agencies. What could go wrong?
Why Women Freeze Their Eggs
It's not to further their careers, says Motherhood on Ice author Marcia C. Inhorn.
The Trump Administration Wages War on Meta
Mark Zuckerberg's donations haven't stopped the Federal Trade Commission from going after his company.
Does Tween Tech Study Prove Jonathan Haidt Right?
Nope, but it does show how complicated the issue is.
BBC Grills Member of Parliament for Not Watching Enough TV
Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch said she doesn’t have to watch Adolescence to understand the show’s themes.
The Anarchist and the Republican
How John McClaughry and Karl Hess fought to decentralize power—one from inside the system, one ever further from it
Study: Kids With Smartphones Are Less Depressed, Anxious, Bullied Than Peers Without Them
A large new study finds smartphone ownership positively correlated with multiple measures of well being in 11- to 13-year-old kids.
Review: Flow Is a Beautiful Low-Budget Animated Feature
The Latvian Oscar winner was rendered on a free and open-source 3D graphic engine.
Don't Count on Quitting Social Media To Make Your Life Better
A new meta-analysis finds “no significant effects of social media abstinence interventions on positive affect, negative affect, or life satisfaction.”
No, the U.S. Industrial Base Is Not Collapsing
Our manufacturing output, even adjusted for inflation, is near all-time highs.
North Carolina Is the Latest State To Try To Restrict Lab-Grown Meat
Cultivated meat isn't challenging slaughtered meat anytime soon. But states keep trying to restrict competition.
Everyone Is Wrong About RFK Jr. and Cellphones
There's no strong evidence that cellphones cause cancer. There also isn't strong evidence that cellphones cause teen depression.
The European Commission Is Assaulting American Tech Companies
Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and others have all faced legal action from the European Union in recent years.
Rand Paul Seeks Information on U.K. Requests for Americans' Private Data
Last month, the U.K. reportedly demanded access to any Apple user's data anywhere in the world. Paul wants to know if any other companies have received similar orders recently.
AI Isn't Destabilizing Elections
Researchers analyzed political content made with artificial intelligence and found much of it was not deceptive at all.
Justice Department Doubles Down Against Google
The government's demands would reduce competition and harm consumer welfare.
Review: Another Tasty but Imperfect Meat Alternative
Prime Roots deli-style meat alternatives are made of koji, the fungi that make soy sauce delicious.
